Consistency in catecholamine and cortisol excretion in males and females

Data from a series of experiments performed on 24 female and 24 male subjects were used to evaluate the consistency in urinary catecholamine and cortisol excretion. Data were available from 8 laboratory situations of varying activity level and content, spaced at intervals of maximum 3 months. Correlational analyses showed that for cortisol, interindividual consistency was higher for measures obtained on the same day than for measures obtained on different days. Interindividual consistency was generally high in catecholamine and cortisol excretion during non-stressful situations in both sexes. During experimental stress, however, consistency was as high as during nonstress for males, while it was lower for females. Analysis of variance components confirmed these results and showed that in males variation due to interindividual differences was high during both baseline and experimental-stress situations, while in females it was high during baseline situations only. During experimental stress, variation for females was due primarily to interaction. It is suggested that the males showed a more generalized stress response over situations than the females.